The ability of Michigan citizens to stay informed through traditional media is shrinking on almost a daily basis.
More cutbacks are a constant threat in at the newsrooms of the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press where I used to work. Likewise, the outstate Booth newspapers shut their Lansing bureau earlier this year. Rumors abound that the Detroit papers and outstate papers are considering dropping their print editions several days a week in response to shrinking demand for ads.
This story in the Lansing-based City Pulse illustrates the problems for one paper, the Lansing State Journal:
Today, the LSJ’s staff list consists of seven news reporters and three business reporters. The daily Capitol newspaper, physically located five blocks from the dome, has been mostly relying on Associated Press wire copy for its news coverage since its last Capitol reporter, Chris Andrews, retired in February. One of the seven news reporters, Derek Wallbank, is leaving shortly, and the LSJ has no immediate plans to replace him. Instead, his position has become one of 13 the Journal is slicing off this month to satisfy parent corporation Gannett’s orders to eliminate 1,000 jobs. Of the 13 in Lansing, five will be by attrition; the rest will be layoffs. And staff levels aren’t the only things shrinking. Coverage is down. Staff morale is down amid the cutbacks. Circulation numbers are down. On March 31, 2000, the daily circulation was 70,773. The Sunday paper went out to 92,993 people. Today, the numbers are down 17 percent, with daily copies at below 59,000 and Sunday below 77,000, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
Several new approaches could fill the information void left by Michigan’s shrinking news corps.
Consider Mary Morgan, who just took a buyout from her job at opinion editor at the Ann Arbor News. She’s launching a new, Internet-based news operation called the Ann Arbor Chronicle. What’s for its debut next week.
Consider, too, the idea of “crowdfunding” news coverage – the idea that professional journalism could be paid for, and produced, through financial contributions of local citizens.
Finally, email the Center for Michigan with your ideas for thoughtful, forward-looking journalism. We’re expanding our “Fresh Thoughts” email newsletter this fall with original reporting on issues and current events related to the Common Ground Agenda for Michigan’s Future.
3 Comments
Newsprint media is dying from a self imposed hardship. Poor to minimal issue coverage and follow-up along with a political agenda that most folks don’t agree with. “Why pay for what I don’t believe” is the mantra.
Now, add the explosive growth of at home computer use and the internet. Read what you want, print what you need and then nothing to throw out, recycle, burn or line the bird cage. Print media will go the way of the full service and full fee stock broker. Into the history books.
When full coverage, unbiased, non-agenda driven, true “journalism” is revived then perhaps the public may respond although I believe that time has passed. The current popular phrase is “fair and balanced”. Reporting of the true facts and issues in the reality of the day without slant, should have been adhered to.
I for one, will use my computer to access anything I want or need, at anytime of the day or night, in many formats and most for free. I can respond immediately and have it posted for others to review.
I might also add that I read about 15% of what newspapers I used to get had in print. The rest was paid for, but not wanted.
What’s happening to newsrooms across the state and nation is sad in a couple respects — a lot of good journalists are being cut loose or minimized out of existence, and society is losing another intelligent cultural bond. And yet, the explosion of Internet news sites with their diversity of fact and opinion is remarkable. Cut-to-the-bone newspapers are cheapening themselves out of existence and online publications are rushing to fill the void. That’s why we started Domemagazine.com last fall — to add the type of richness to coverage of Michigan politics and policy that hasn’t existed for years. And as we grow and evolve we find there is so much more we can do than a traditional print publication. The future is indeed exciting!
Newspapers will have to adapt in a major way, and seven-day dailies will probably (and should) disappear, but getting your news on paper in your hands deserves to remain our nation’s preferred method of sharing information.
Dailies will likely publish three times a week, should use the U.S. Mail to eliminate delivery problems and still strive to be the fair, objective and authoritative voice of professionally-trained staff.
The movies, radio, TV and even the internet haven’t killed papers yet, but they’ve only just begun to adapt to what they will resemble in five more years.